1611 Citie of Henricus celebrates its founding

Monday

Sep 23, 2013 at 12:01 AM

CHESTERFIELD - More than 100 historic interpreters brought the history of Henricus, the second successful English settlement in the New World, to life for visitors during Publick Days.The two-day annual event celebrates the founding of the Citie of Henr

CHESTERFIELD - More than 100 historic interpreters brought the history of Henricus, the second successful English settlement in the New World, to life for visitors during Publick Days.

The two-day annual event celebrates the founding of the Citie of Henricus in September 1611.

Sir Thomas Dale, along with soldiers, tradesmen and farmers ventured from Jamestown to create the settlement.

The leaders of Henricus established the first English hospital, chartered the first college in North America and established tobacco as the first cash crop of Virginia.

To celebrate this rich history, Henricus Historical Park was opened for free Saturday and Sunday.

Visitors were entertained by demonstrations of English and Virginia Indian trade posts, weapons demonstrations, craftsmen, cooking and other portrayals of daily life.

On the bluff overlooking the James River, arms demonstrations highlighted the military history of Dutch Gap from the Revolutionary War to the Civil War. Cannon firings and musket drills showed visitors the arms used in both conflicts. The re-enactment of a 1612 trial - and the punishment of a soldier - was held at the Henricus fort flag pole.

Docked just below the settlement on the James River was a 17th-century replica of the ship Godspeed from the Jamestown settlement. The Godspeed was one of three ships which transported America's first permanent English colonists to Virginia in 1607.

Amy Marshman, an historic interpreter, said the park was buzzing with enthusiasm for history.

"Everyone's excited and wants to learn from us," she said. "It's an opportunity to get interpreters together."

Marshman is one of a handful of interpreters employed by the park. An event the scale of Publick Days required the efforts of volunteers and contracted workers.

Marshman portrays a member of the Powhatan tribe. During Publick Days, she demonstrated how the Powhatan made clay pinch pots with clay she brought up from the river and fired herself over an open flame. Before being fired, the pots have to be tempered with crushed shells and dried for a week.

Marshman said that all of the effort was important for historical accuracy.

"We try to keep it authentic and in the Stone Age," she said.

Marshman is an art historian who teaches at various colleges in Virginia. She and other historians don't have much to work with when it comes to learning about Powhatan culture. Algonquin, the language of the Powhatan, was not a written language, so they didn't document daily life. Much of what is known about the Powhatan comes from the writings of John Smith and other English explorers. Marshman said that this can lead to misinterpretations because explorers wrote from the English perspective. The explorers were men, so they didn't have the chance to observe Powhatan women.

Volunteer interpreters Tom Apple, Stephen Thornton and Miles Janecka showed the English perspective as traders. They were surrounded by various trade goods, such as beads, cloth and hatchets. The colonists where motivated to trade goods for food, while the Native Americans found many English tools and other items to be practical and efficient. English cloth didn't have to be processed, unlike deerskin, and it came in multiple colors. English metal tools were more durable.

Apple said he wanted park visitors to leave understanding the mark on modern culture left by interaction between the colonists and the Powhatan.

"One of our goals is to show the peaceful interaction between the colonists and the natives that impacted both cultures," he said.

Marie York, a visitor to the park who recently moved to Virginia from Alabama, said she enjoyed learning how things really were in the 1600s.

"I'm coming back tomorrow and bringing more people," she said. "I love seeing how it was back in the day and learning how it was not romanticized between John Smith and Pocahontas."

Steven Wolf, a volunteer interpreter who portrayed an Englishman, said that the Publick Days event was the perfect opportunity to learn about history first-hand.

"You have to hear the muskets go off and feel the cannons," he said. "You can't just read about it."

For anyone who didn't make it to Publick Days, historic interpreters from The Kingdom of Lucerne Inc. will give hands-on demonstrations of 17th-century weapons Oct. 12-13. That weekend also includes all-you-can-eat breakfast, lunch and dinner for $30 a person. Visitors can also camp at the park. Registration information may be found at www.kindomoflucerne.com.

- Leah Small may be reached at 722-5172 or lsmall@progress-index.com.

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